1984

Orwell's Nineteen Eighty-Four novel was first published in 1949 in Britain. The novel was considered a 'threat' because how it thematically focused on totalitarianism. It is embodied in the fact that for Hungarian readers, (besides being released shortly after World War II) it wasn't until the end of socialism that it became legally available. It is regarded as one of the most commemorable works in modern literature. The dystopic, totalitarian world that Orwell envisioned in this book holds eerie similarities to 2021. It also holds significant relevance in today's culture as many terms from it became frequently used in everyday language, such as 'Big Brother' or 'Room 101'. The protagonist, Winston Smith, who lives in this dystopic society of total control where everything including movements and actions are constantly monitored and recorded by Big Brother, is tasked to work as a censor rewriting historical and political information to match the government's interests. However, in this horrific and tyrannical depiction of society having your everyday life observed is not the most horrific thing - Big Brother aims to rob citizens of their very ability to think for themselves with the destruction of traditional English language and the invention of 'Newspeak'. Thinking 'outside the box' in this society is punishable by torture, sometimes even by death. Consequentally, the main action in the novel consists of Winston Smith's conflict with the oppression of the government.When finishing a novel, most of us rate it by examining how well we got attached to it and whether it had or continues to have an influence on us or not. 1984 is definitely the most thought-provoking novel I have personally read. It simply transcends into something that has much deeper meaning. If you're looking for a novel to read that will leave you pondering for days and invoke the feeling of reconsideration in you then look no further. Also, It is undoubtedly unique because it does not employ literary devices in the most perfect way or has marvelous writing like others, yet it conveys a message and ideologies that have a huge impact on the individual reader and on the society also. This novel also provided an enormous amount of inspiration for the entertainment media, spawning TV-shows based upon the concept it presents. Orwell perfectly tackled the subject of mass-media control, dictatorship, and surveillance.